Zuma Kai Kite and The Puppy Chronicles

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Just an update on Miss Izzy....she is doing marvelously and is a joy! She weighs 40 pounds now and has gotten quite tall. We walk briskly every morning for about 30 minutes, which wears her out for a few hours! She has a playmate, Murphy, a 100 pound golden retriever on the block, who is her best friend. They play together several times a week, and believe me, Izzy is no shrinking violet! She's very aggressive and dominant, rarely submissive, and keeps him on the run! We call them "peas and carrots" as we liken their relationship to Forrest and Jenny in Forrest Gump (Murphy isn'tthe brightest light, but very sweet!). Izzy hasn't had an accident in the house since the second week we had her! She's very bright and has learned alot of commands and behaves well, with the exception of picking up just about anything on the floor (but isn't that a puppy and a lab!). I'm sure that she'll outgrow that shortly! She prefers my lounge chair on the patio to any other spot for nap-taking. It takes her about an hour to finish any meal, down from about 2 hours a few weeks ago! She's definitely not food-driven, but certainly loves attention Her manners with other dogs are great, and we did a walk for Parkinson's Disease downtown this past weekend and she was wonderful with all the other dogs there.

How different they all are...Kona, (at the time this was written)...is over 50 pounds, though I'm not sure exactly how much now. She and Zuma are inseparable and fight like sisters for our attention. Izzy sounds more like Zuma in the eating department. Kona, onthe other hand, downs any food in seconds! Kona is definitely dominant, butZuma always puts her in her place. It's funny to see how they interact with one another and who is dominant over who in what matters (i.e. what Zuma allows Kona to take over). Kona has completely taken over Zuma's position on our bed (so much so that Zuma now sleeps on the floor). And Kona certainly is dominant over the food and treats issue. Zuma is more dominant in attention from us and in about everything else. It's been fun to watch them. They are two very different dogs. Zuma is more hyper and rough, but more behaved overall (and I think smarter). Kona is very sweet and easy-going. Kona will chew things up and climb counters to get food if left alone, whereas Zuma would rather die than to do any mischief at all. But Kona usually wins over people because of her sweet and easy nature.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Find Kona now (look towards the bottom of the picture). She got too tired to walk/run the full hour. (Mom, Zuma, is in the background.) It made for a VERY heavy stroller. She went to PetsMart (Zuma's favorite spot) for the first time the day before and weighed in at 25.5 pounds!

I have to say that Koko is adjusting very well to the "good life," but I'm not so sure Zuma likes the idea of sharing her bed and sofa. Especially to a cuddler (Zuma only snuggles on her own terms and Kona is always trying to lay on Zuma - one of them will eventually have to give into the other)!

We've been receiving a few updates from the pup families. Some of them are already sitting on command (Koko included) and sleeping through the night. They are adjusting just wonderfully to receiving individual attention, snuggling, walking on leashes, and getting lots of new visitors! Keep sending your updates and photos to post!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

In this video: 1. Hanah going bananas at the park with her new friend Peanut. 2. Like mother, like daughter. Watch as Hanah and the other three amigos play with shoes and stuffed animals. Hanah is notorious for stealing shoes and instigating the others in her scheme! She steals one shoe and as soon as we go back in the garage to put it back, she steals another! That stinker! Then watch as mom steals a stuffed animal. I wonder where Hanah got it from???

Here is Zuma thoroughly in agony saying goodbye to her babies. She was miserably "lumpy" (as we like to call her) when her playmates started to leave. Barely ate and moped around all day. We did, of course, make it up to her later.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

The puppies and Jacob all shared a sad day today - they all got their shots today! Jacob and the pups weigh almost the same (Jacob at 9 months to the day weighs about 22 pounds, whereas the puppies at almost 8 weeks all weigh between 19 and 20 pounds each). They also were dewormed for the first time. All this in preparation for their new homes this weekend. Gripey is the first to go, followed by Bullet, Little Girl, and Hanah. Drake and Carson are still looking to be adopted by a loving family.

Monday, April 14, 2008

The puppies are 7 weeks old today (Sunday). After about a week of not being able to play outdoors due to bad weather, they were able to soak up the sun on their 7 week birthday. Here they are with mom (watching vigilantly, as usual, and playing) and the rest of the family playing, running, resting, and chewing on (wagon and stroller) tires and a sprinkler drip hose. Enjoy the music!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

In the video you can see their home as of the last couple of weeks or so. They've definitely outgrown their whelping box/kennel combination (they are HUGE). So, now we have a big fenced-off play area (for them to eat, nap and play) that connects to their kennel and then their whelping box (which they use for sleeping at night).

The puppies are cuter than ever! I can't describe how adorable they are and how irresistible they are to play with and pet when you see them! Here they are today getting their baths. Mom is licking one of them in sympathy while he is trying to escape!

Planning an escape route

All cuddly in a towel after being washed, dried, blow-dried, and having his nails clipped.

Contact Info

If you would like one of our silver lab puppies to join your own family, please email valeriekooka@hotmail.com.

What is a Silver Lab?

Silver Labs have the recessive gene for color from Chocolate Labs. Compliments of our friends, Silver Valley Kennels, here you see the visual difference between chocolates, charcoals, blacks, and silvers.

Zuma

Zuma, the mom, as a puppy

About the Parents

Mom (Zuma Kai), pictured above, is extremely smart, playful, and active (but not hyper). Currently living in Colorado and originally from Arizona, she is a running dog (we got her to be our running partner) that loves water. Zuma is the type of pup that will not eat the pizza on the kitchen counter even if we left it there out in the open and have left for the day - what a good dog! We can't say enough about how much we love and adore her, her antics, her "goodness," and her temperament. Pre-pregnancy she was 70 pounds of lean muscle mass, since she is a runner! For more pictures and videos of her go to www.dogster.com/dogs/405874

Dad, Otto (aka Prince Charming), is a bird dog - he hunts quail mostly. Originally from Florida (but now lives in Arizona), he, like Zuma, is very active, playful, smart and slender. Otto weighs in at a whopping 90 pounds! Both dogs are thinner, leggy labs that are extremely lovable.